A study was done to isolate and develop microsatellite markers to evaluate genetic variability in different individuals of an African woodpecker Campethera nivosa. Fourteen microsatellite loci were isolated from Campethera nivosa, from 15 individuals across different lowland forests surrounding the Congo River basin, central and western Africa. Alleles ranged between three to 12 per locus with observed heterozygosity, ranging from 0.100 to 0.917, and expected heterozygosity, ranging from 0.530 to 0.889, respectively. Nine out of 14 loci were in Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium, and all 14 showed no significant linkage disequilibrium. These microsatellite markers will be used to study genetic variability in populations of Campethera nivosa across either sides of the Congo River to evaluate the effect of the river as a barrier to gene flow.